Dobbies Garden Centre Brighton in Brighton and Hove

Female member of staff. No name badge. Stocking up gifts in xmas sale area so abrupt and borderline rude. Long black hair. You really should NOT work in retail or anywhere where there are customers. It's the customers who pay your salary always remember this because we will think twice now before returning to this store....

The £20 Santa Paws experience was an absolute rip off. Amateurish is the only world to describe the set up and execution. I feel like doing a chargeback as I did not get what was set out. The promise was that Santa and the elves would play with your dog. This did not happen. Santa, was dressed in a cheap outfit, there was no room for a dog larger than a chi to sit on him so my small spaniel was hanging on for dear life and was uncomfortable and stressed. Large dogs could sit between his legs though. He was a very nice man though the helpers wete polite but they were not trained for this role nor given the right equipment The £10 photo ‘ professional package’ promised consisted of one digital snap for which you have to send off, no professional photographer, just the regular staff who didn’t even know how to work the camera, let alone take a good photo. The promised ‘range of toys’ consisted a very cheap toy was not suitable for a dog my size and they had no alternatives.

Enjoyed my meal so went back again. Unfortunately they seem to dropped their standards. Hopefully it’s temporary. Service is always good.

Love this place my dogs love hear staff are fabulous

Lovely garden centre with a lovely cafe. Staff are so kind and knowledgable.

No breakfast after 11am, the sandwiches were good, chips were very nice, coffee was good. Great service, much older crowd

Bought a few items in the shop , they were giving 20% off with their club card plus but at the till discount was refused as they said card has run out but were happy for it to be used on previous occasions when no discount was available. I shall shop elsewhere in future

The food was lovely, A very pleasant afternoon tea .

Always buy my garden stuff here

Waitrose in shop and cafe and members card offers

Good customer service, staff are welcoming and dog friendly, good food and like the cakes and scones.

A great wide choice of items at a reasonable price, a well-stocked pet shop, and a cafe that serves the largest carvery sandwiches I have ever seen. There is plenty of parking, and the helpful staff will load big bags of soil to your car for you. They now have COOK food and a small Waitrose.

Dobbies is a large garden centre just by Brighton race course, on the outskirts of Brighton. It has everything you'd expect from a garden centre, plants, seeds, equipment, garden furniture plus a pleasant cafe. There is also a selection of clothes and gifts and a Waitrose essentials concession and a Cook (frozen food) concession as well. There is also a large Pet's Corner store within Dobbies, offering just about anything you could need for your cat, dog or other furry (or feathered) friend. Also a grooming parlour.

I love Dobbies Brighton, there are some lovely helpfulness staff we've got to know over time. Cafe and garden centre wonderful.

Good selection of plants and great cafe

Very grubby place lots of flies. Never any staff I think the working conditions are bad with poor pay. Although kids eat for free in summer holidays, 2 adult with tea & coffee came to 27£ . The food was nice and so was the coffee. The whole ambience of being in garden center is nice as well.

Great place to meet up over a tea/coffee and something to eat whilst visiting the garden centre

Nice large garden centre with good disabled access. Also, there is a big car park at the front of the building. There is a cafe but I did not eat there. There is a Waitrose outlet within. I marked it down because the toilet was smelly and in serious need of refurbishment.

Delicious afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones, cream and strawberry jam. Staff friendly and helpful. A lovely afternoon.

Very reasonable plants as well as all the regular other garden items including a mini Waitrose inside. We had lunch which was very good and catered very well for my daughter who is gluten free.

I came here after radiotherapy to get a coffee for the drive home. There was only one person serving and although it wasn't a long queue it took so long I almost collapsed while I was standing in it. I was completely ignored by the staff and other customers. Awful.

The cafe really needs a good clean, the floor was very messy, tables uncleared and dirty. The trays were also very dirty. Very disappointing.

A good cafe , decent food with inner and outside seating.. Lovely

Give a number to star because the cafe is not there anymore

Recently had a Sunday roast there in the cafe. Average at best. Beef was a bit dry, especially as it was thicker cut. Some of the veg needed more cooking. A couple of quid more at certain pubs in Brighton would get you a far better roast.

I was on holiday in Brighton and bought this ball for my doberman. We live in Thailand and buying toys for big dogs can be a challenge. Shadow won't leave this ball alone. Thank you Dobbies pet people :)

If you like garden centres this may be the place for you.

Checkout staff are rude. Not the kind of service you would expect considering the prices

I went to a puppy club in Pets Corner that is situated in Dobbies Garden Centre. Everyone is really polite and friendly. Will recommend to my friends and definitely return

Annoying that the Waitrose in here doesn’t sell anything like sandwiches or food to go- understand that this is because there is also a cafe on site but the cafe doesn’t sell any take away lunch food either so doesn’t make any sense. Don’t go here if you’re looking for grab and go food

Expensive! Especially waitrose!

OK nicely laid out little bit pricey nice plants though

They have a great pet shop with really lovely stuff who are wonderfully helpful.

Loved my traditional breakfast. The veggie option has a rather overcooked sausage!

The staff are friendly and helpful, and the most positive attribute to the store. The parking is easy, and views and walks from the carpark are lovely. There is a good plant selection, and staff are helpful with tips and advice. So why 3 stars? The small Waitrose is bizarrely stocked- with random selection of items, and lacks essentials. They have mainly focussed on ready meals, I'm guessing for the more elderly customer. There is rarely fruit & vegetables and when there is there are hard to locate. Multiple eilse have seats, cakes, chocolate which has been prioritised over more staple food options. It feels like if you ate only from what Dobbies has to offer you may suffer from high cholesterol or heart conditions. When it was Sainsbury's as the partner it was better equipped as an in-house food store. Then there is the area of house stuff - so much plastic, short-life stuff- bits and bobs. As a garden centre it really lacks having any sustainability conscious approach to what they sell. They often have packing boxes which is a good option to have. The Pet shop is well stocked, and the people inside are again very helpful and kind.

Cafe is nice. Garden bits are very expensive

If you are looking for incompetent and rude staff, look no further.

Lots of plants but the plants always die.

Fruit scone in cafe was so dry and crumbly that I could barely butter it and the euonymus japonica was VERY pot bound at 50 quid. Tea was nice. The scones were selling very well so they could afford to get freshly baked in daily. Raise your game.

Professional outfit ...very good...and the pet shops great

Very expensive but nicely laid out. The cashiers dorm seem very interested.

Dobbies is always more expensive than their competitors, we feel. This is a mid size outlet, with a Waitrose and cafe on site. Very blustery location on top of a hill. Wrap up if going in winter

Like this place has a lot to offer

A joyous garden Centre to visit with our dogs. Nice healthy selection of plants and shrubs. Added bonus of Waitrose. Sadly the cafe lets the side down. Clearly not enough staff to cope on busy Saturday’s. Staff always pleasant but when person on till has to leave to clear tables, whilst que is out the door! Clearly lacking a supervisor, or adequate training. Despite queuing for 30 minutes, lovely coffees as always.

So many great plants. Lovely cafe

Lovely place except for the usual sun bleached books that look awful. Excellent selection of plants

Nice little garden centre in Brighton. Lots of plant options, some garden furniture & bbqs too & a homewear section too. Also helpfully has a cafe & a mini waitrose in there. Staff were friendly & ample parking.

Now with mini supermarket, it's becoming less and less of a garden centre

Loved the roast dinner o n sundays

Had a cup of tea here but not great. Rather soulless but it was a very foggy wet afternoon.

A garden centre, with a pet store, waitrose and coffee shop. All in all a pretty good experience. I got something from the pet store but wandering around a garden centre has always been a pleasant experience for me. The smell of watered plants. I was pleasantly surprised.

Good place to shop at some of the items in the food hall are expensive

Creepy old male staff members ogling at young girls/women.

Garden centre nice to visit. The cafe had run out of sausages by 12.30 so no sausage and mash. Very busy not enough staff.

Some interesting areas but pretty much a standard garden centre. Does have a large cafe/restaurant.

I visited here while waiting for someone in the area. I couldn't resist a stop at the cafe for a lovely mocha. I came away with a few things.

Lovely, friendly staff who are very accomodating and helpful. We always go for coffee and cake, every visit.

This place feels run down (Dobbies sign had mould growing on it and dull. Lighting levels poor. Stock levels ok but some Christmas stock should be thrown out. Went to the cafe. Not going to do that again. I may have been unlucky but the toasted sandwich was actually dripping due to excess of some sort of spread. I didn't finish it.

With a Waitrose on site alongside all your gardening needs this a great place. They have a super cafe out the back and the location at Brighton racecourse is easy to find

Nice staff has waitrose for rich people not you peasant types stick to plants ..

Very nice food hit an miss still had all christmas stuff in food place

I'm sitting in the cafe of Dobbies and my sandwich lunch is delicious 😋 But more importantly, I was served by the nicest of staff member. Who remembered me from my last visit here at Dobbies. Bless her, it's things like that in life that don't receive feedback. With that I thought I must write a glowing review on the food and Nicola's amazing customer service. Thank you I will return and recommend this cafe/ restaurant.

It used to be called Wyevalle, which sounds sophisticated and rolls off the tongue. Now it's called Dobbies... Apart from that it's a great place with a lot of plants!

OK cafe not that good not very helpfull staff, shame really.

Absolutely brilliant breakfast with Santa yesterday! Our 3 year old was very wary of other Santa's she'd met, but the super way the staff ran the session meant she was very relaxed when it came to her turn to meet him. Really impressed with the activities, games and the gift - great value for money! I highly recommend this and will certainly be back next year! Excellent job Team Dobbies!

Brilliant Breakfast with Santa, our 3 year old loved it. Staff were amazing and very good value for money. Someone had thought really hard about how to run the breakfast and it was a great event for the kids. We felt this was more a giving back exercise than a making money venture which is rare at this time of year. Great job.

They have to best taste in music pipes and specials you can't beat

It's my first stop to get a Christmas tree 🎄 The staff are an example of politeness and passion that all employees should be measured against. Its great for xmas presents for those greenthumbs. I only give it 4 stars because i inly come here at Christmas time so i dunno what its like... sure it's perfect. I wosh i worked here.

Very nice and relaxing time there , staff friendly and helpful. Always enjoy a stop in there restaurant/ Coffee shop. Easy parking.

Not a lot Christmas things in there

After watching adverts have wanted to go here for a while but a bit out of the way. When I did eventually go it was ok but a lot smaller than expected didn't really have loads but got a good deal on a Christmas tree. Black Friday sale, prob won't be going back

Lovely little garden centre, beautiful christmas displays out we're making way for all the fresh christmas trees outside so not as many plants outside as normal

Sometimescheap reduced plants Always great staff

Lovely garden centre but not keen on the people trying to sell stuff outside.

A little overpriced in general but is local and the team there are lovely. Update: The price of a pack of seeds here costs as much as 10 packs else where, they are taking the Mick.

Half the stock has been put out with no prices. The staff are rude and dismissive & it looks a bit shabby. Won’t be going there again. Sad, as I am a big fan of Dobbies Garden centres, but I have to say this is the worst one I have ever been too.

Wouldn't even give 1 star Cafe Food had a very peculiar taste, it wasn't right, ending up leaving it and walking out, even the scones you could tell they were frozen and been put out as was really cold and soggy in middle, plus noticed a damp mould patch on the ceiling above table, wasn't made to feel very welcome

The staff were friendly and helpful, the restaurant does nice food.

Great place unfortunately very expensive. Very helpful staff

Very busy cafe. Little bit run down

The garden centre is just fine but the cafe needs a bit of an upgrade. Staff and food are great, but ambience is zilch.

Just wanted to say a big thank you to all the staff tonight.I took my two little grandchildren to the Halloween tea it was brilliant 🎃see you next year 😊 a

Got some Za-za from the pet kiosk. Roadmen outside tried to Stab me and the staff was dropping plants like it’s a rap battle

Could be that it's change of season but plants looked miserable. As a keen gardener I can agree that this garden centre is quite expensive relative to others that I frequent. I will pop back and change my review later in the year.

For a Supermarket, that supposed to have care n quality, I am annoyed it has Three Shelves FULL of drinks in PLASTIC BOTTLES, and ONLY One Shelf with Tin Drinks...

Waited ages to be served. Always do. 29th Sept wanted a quick coffee before my friend arrived. They took 15 minutes to get it then my friend arrived. She said she would get a tea and had to wait another 15 minutes. People behind her in the queue were getting served before her. Not good enough.

Dobbies is my local garden centre and afraid as a gardener I find it disappointing. Pretty overpriced and lacking stock that would really make sense given where it is. Today and on other occasions no ericaceous compost. Brighton is largely built on chalk so this is a really useful thing. Come on Dobbies, get your act together!

Very convenient for Brighton folk.

Visited the Cafe this morning to find a long queue which is fine but after waiting 20mins to be served I was told they had run out of Peppermint tea and then when I changed to Oat flat white they didn’t have Oat milk. So had no choice but to leave 😤 The option of Soya milk is not a solution! This is very frustrating considering all that needed to happen was putting a notice as you come into the cafe to let you know which would save me queuing.

Lovely garden centre well stocked,friendly and helpful staff.very nice restaurant lots of choice of food and drinks.

Very good service cafe ok good information from garden centre staff

Lovely clean garden centre a little expensive but plants are in great condition and they have a beautiful cafe food is great Lovely selection. Staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. Lovely place to visit.

Definitely one of my go to places for all garden requirements.

Seems to have gone downhill. Scampi arrived totally uncooked. Much less cheese than before on Jacket potato too.

They do have quite a collection but as far i see the prices are high which they’re in actual supposed to be cheaper at a place like this where you do wholesale or a dedicated gardening place. They do have a pet friendly cafe.

Disappointed - a lot of the plants looked half dead or mouldy and they were quite expensive compared to other places. Two years later and some of the plants still look bad, the poor roses really needed someone to look after them! New bedding plants were nice though.

Lovely setting at the top of Elm grove, and beautiful well stocked centre, however the real star of the show is the cheese scone in the large airy restaurant , very nice staff, and cuppa sit in or out had a super morning there and for all your last minute needs there is waitrose on site! Highly recommended, let's keep these garden centres open!

Nice garden centre with lots of great items, has a florist shop, regatta shop and new fat face shop. The cafe is in a nice building outside, its big with outside seating and has a good choice of cakes and food. We had the five layer cake with lemon curd in between layers which was delicious.

A small group of us booked the Christmas afternoon tea. It was VERY reasonably priced at £10 per head and there was a very good selection of sandwiches and goodies. In fact there was too much but we were able to take home what we couldn't manage in boxes. The staff were very helpful and attentive and we were able to have as many cups of tea as we wanted. The cafe does need to be modernised, however, hence the 4 stars and not 5.

Great range of products, bit short on affordable pots